December 2012

We are pleased to offer this "special edition" blog post that includes a link to a 10-minute webinar created by one of our own Westfield Insurance Risk Control leaders, Lisa Mundt! Lisa was contacted by The Worker's Comp Group to create this webinar to help employer's identify common winter workplace injuries. Lisa is a Risk Control Leader who is based out of our Duluth, Georgia Service Office. Lisa has completed both the CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter) and ARM (Associate in Risk Management) designations. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Risk Management and Insurance from the University of Georgia.

It is a great honor to be recognized as an expert in this area and we wanted to spread the word about this excellent training and educational tool. This 10 minute webinar would be a great tool to use during your next safety meeting.

Here are 3 Reasons to Listen:

Learn how to identify common winter workplace hazards.

Discover some simple steps to help prevent potential employee injuries.

Just think about all of the dump trucks you see coming and going during road construction. We know we should slow down in construction zones, and in some cases move over. Usually there are even signs warning us to slow down. Motorists running over construction workers is a big concern.

Can you determine which one of those drivers may accidentally back over someone behind their vehicle in the construction zone? Read on for more information.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 70 workers died from backover incidents in 2011. Backovers are now a focus topic for OSHA, as they have created a website specifically dedicated to Preventing Backovers. In this link, you can find examples of how and why backovers occur (there could be several factors involved), and what can be done to prevent backovers.

As winter prepares to chill us all with its icy breath and treacherous roadways, it is important to make a plan for how you will face the snow and ice. Have you considered the dangers and precautions of snow and ice removal from your commercial fleet?

More than half of all truckers do not take the time to clear the ice and snow off of their cab and trailer. Flying ice can be annoying on a private passenger car, but it can be downright deadly when those giant chunks fly off of a big rig hauling freight on the interstate. Unfortunately, there are very few statistics that track the number of injuries and accidents attributed to this dangerous condition, but you don’t have to be Einstein to know that a one ton, rock solid ice missile flying through a windshield behind you could do serious damage to other vehicles and passengers.

Aside from projectile icicles, the excessive weight of ice and snow on your trailer can add as much as 2 tons. This means that your rig could be overloaded from ice creating an illegal weight on the road as well as reduced fuel economy. Clearing the ice and snow is not only a safety precaution, but has a direct impact on your bottom line. Check with the local jurisdictions where you operate, as some states and municipalities have laws prohibiting trucks from operating with ice and snow on the trailer.

The easiest way to ensure minimal ice/snow accumulation is to garage your vehicles where possible. It may be worth the investment in a garage or a covered parking area if your business is in a snow prone state. Other snow and ice solutions include modern designed trailer/tractors that reduce accumulation, specialized truck washes, driver through scrapers, and various chemical based melting products. There is no ideal solution and your company will need to do research to find what works best for your operations and budget.

The bottom line is that the trucking industry needs to work on this issue as a whole to find the safest, most affordable, and most effective method. If ice and snow impact your work, make a commitment to review and explore all removal options for the 2012/2013 season. This is an issue for every driver – pay attention, don’t follow too closely to an ice covered rig, maintain your vehicle properly, and use common sense when driving in winter weather.

Do you have any ideas or solutions that worked for you? Please share your comments.

This post was written by Kirsten Hedden, ARM, who is a Risk Control Representative in our Peoria, Illinois Service Office and a regular contributor to the Risk Factors blog.